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Western Kentucky makes its bowl debut on Wednesday night when it takes on Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit.

The Chippewas will be playing in their fourth Little Caesars Bowl in seven years, losing each of the past two by a field goal. They are riding a three-game win streak (SU and ATS) thanks mostly to RB Zurlon Tipton who has six straight 100-yard games with 13 TD during this streak. The Hilltoppers also have a star running back in Antonio Andrews who has carried the ball 264 times in his past 10 games, racking up 238 and 230 yards in his past two games. He is a big reason why WKU is 6-0 ATS (4-2 SU) in non-home games this season. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry will coach the Hilltoppers in this game after head man Willie Taggart left for South Florida. Due to a violation of team policy, Central Michigan suspended two of its top three wide receivers for this game -- Titus Davis (team-high 860 rec. yds, 8 rec. TD) and Courtney Williams (24 rec, 260 yds).

Can Western Kentucky prevail in its first-ever bowl game? For the answer, download your FREE copy of the StatFox Edge College Bowl Guide for all the StatFox Experts picks for each of the 35 bowls, both Against The Spread and Over/Under.

Central Michigan has won three straight (SU and ATS), but these three opponents -- Eastern Michigan, Miami-Ohio and UMass have a combined record of 7-29 (.194) this year. Despite the win streak, senior QB Ryan Radcliff has connected on just 43-of-76 passes (56.6%) for 573 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT. With both Davis and Williams suspended for this game, Radcliff will rely heavily on erratic senior WR Cody Wilson, who has four 100-yard games, but seven sub-55-yard efforts this season. The good news is that Zurlon Tipton has gotten stronger throughout the season with 894 rushing yards (149 YPG) on 6.1 yards per carry in the second half of the 2012 campaign. His 19 rushing touchdowns are one shy of the school record set in 1994. Defensively, CMU is not very good in any facet, as the school ranks 98th in FBS in scoring defense (33.3 PPG), 96th in total defense (443 YPG) and tied for 99th in sacks (1.4 per game). The one saving grace is their increase in takeaways from five over the first six games of the season to 13 in the year's final six contests.

Western Kentucky's offensive philosophy is pretty simple: give the football to Antonio Andrews. The junior needs just 274 yards to break the NCAA all-time record for all-purpose yards in a season set by Barry Sanders in 1988. Andrews has rushed for 1,609 yards and 11 TD, caught 23 passes for 411 yards and 3 TD, and returned kicks and punts for a combined 957 yards and one touchdown. Senior QB Kawaun Jakes ranks 28th in the nation in passing efficiency (7.9 YPA, 21 TD and 11 TD), but he has failed to throw for 200 yards in each of his past three games, tossing 5 INTs and just 3 TDs in this stretch. WKU will miss Taggart on the sidelines, but it can take solace in the fact that Guidry won his last bowl game in the interim coach role, leading Miami-Ohio to a win in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl. However, the team will still be missing Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, DE Quanterus Smith (12.5 sacks in 10 games), due to a knee injury. He was a big reason the Hilltoppers led their conference with 2.6 sacks per game and placed 12th in the nation in Tackles For Loss (7.4 per game). WKU also has a strong pass defense, ranking second in the Sun Belt with 206 passing YPG allowed.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

Over the course of the last 20 seasons, 19 bowl games have been played at one of the teams' home field. The host teams are 11-8 straight up and 11-7 against the spread in those games.

In 2012, only one team will be hosting a bowl game, and that is San Diego State, who welcomes BYU to Qualcomm Stadium for the Poinsettia Bowl game. The Aztecs are three-point underdogs in that game, and for the record, home 'dogs are 5-2 ATS in that group.

Preparing for several weeks to play a game at your home field is certainly advantageous. The advantage that isn't always as glaring, and therefore often overlooked, is a regional advantage. There are many examples of teams playing bowl games in their home state, perhaps less than three hours from their campus. The chances for that team to feel as if they are the home team by rallying their fans to the cause are much greater than the opponent, who, along with its fans, has to endure more rigorous travel to get to a bowl game. The examples of the latter are many fold.

From last year alone, Florida beat Ohio State at the Gator Bowl, Texas A&M beat Northwestern at the Texas Bowl, Rutgers turned back Iowa State at the Pinstripe Bowl, Baylor came up big over Washington at San Antonio in the Alamo Bowl, NC State won the Belk Bowl in Charlotte against Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette was a winner at the Superdome in New Orleans over San Diego State, Houston beat Penn State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, and Florida State beat Notre Dame in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Losing teams in would be regional advantage games were California (Holiday Bowl), and UCLA (Fight Hunger). If you're keeping score, that was 8-2 against the spread. That is a record worth noting.

You will find games like this on every year's bowl card, as organizers do this to increase attendance figures and enhance the experience for the travelers. The trouble for oddsmakers is that this home field edge is impossible to quantify, and as a result, most bowl games not at a specific home field are treated as neutral games. Therefore, this is an easy spot for bettors to pick up at least a couple points of value on a line.

Here's a look at the games that would qualify as regional advantage games on the 2012-13 bowl board:

Teams listed first have the Regional Edge

Friday, Dec. 21

Beef O' Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field from St. Petersburg, FL
Central Florida vs. Ball State

Saturday, Dec. 22

New Orleans Bowl at Superdome from New Orleans, LA
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. East Carolina

Five teams blow the dust off their bowling shoes this month after an extended absence from the postseason. Two of those programs have actually never taken those shoes out of the box.

Here’s a look at the teams bowling for the first time in a long time:

Western Kentucky (7-5 SU, 8-4 ATS)

The Hilltoppers, who have only been a member of the FBS since 2008, play in their first big-boy bowl game when they take on Central Michigan in the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26. Oddsmakers have tabbed WKU as a 5-point favorite at Ford Field. Western Kentucky was a golden goose for bettors early in the season, going 6-0 ATS, but finished with a 2-4 ATS mark in the final six games.

UL Monroe Warhawks (8-4 SU, 8-4 ATS)

The Warhawks are another program making its bowl debut this year. UL Monroe is a 7-point favorite versus Ohio in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28, snapping an 18-year bowl drought after jumping to Div-IA in 1994. The Warhawks don’t have to travel far with the game scheduled in Shreveport, Louisiana – just an hour and a half drive down the 20.

Kent State Golden Flashes (11-2 SU, 10-2-1 ATS)

The last time the Golden Flashes were featured in a bowl game, The Godfather was cleaning up at the Oscars, Roberta Flack topped the music charts, and former head coach Darrell Hazell was eight years old. Kent State makes its first bowl appearance since the 1972 Tangerine Bowl, in which it lost 21-18 to Tampa, when it faces Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6. Books have KSU as a 3.5-point underdog following Hazell’s departure to Purdue.

Duke Blue Devils (6-6 SU, 6-6 ATS)

The Blue Devils may be staples of the college hoops postseason but the football version of the Dukies hasn’t been bowling since the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl, when Duke lost to Wisconsin 34-20 as an 8-point underdog. This year’s team just made the bowl cut with six wins and draws Cincinnati for the Dec. 27 Belk Bowl in Charlotte. Books are dealing Duke +7 after the team stumbled into the postseason with four straight losses SU and ATS.

San Jose State Spartans (10-2 SU, 10-2 ATS)

The Spartans are one of the best bets in college football and are 7-point favorites versus Bowling Green in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27. This is San Jose State’s first bowl game since 2006 when it beat New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl, 20-12, as a 3-point underdog. Before that, SJSU hadn’t been bowling since 1990. The Spartans have fared well in bowl season, posting a 5-3 SU mark going back to the 1946 Raisin Bowl.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

C MICHIGAN (6 - 6) vs. W KENTUCKY (7 - 5) - 12/26/2012, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
C MICHIGAN is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
C MICHIGAN is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
C MICHIGAN is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
C MICHIGAN is 2-13 ATS (-12.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games after playing a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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Wednesday, December 26

7:30 PM
CENTRAL MICHIGAN vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Central Michigan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Central Michigan is 6-19 ATS in its last 25 games
Western Kentucky is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Western Kentucky is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games

Little Caesar’s Bowl
Western Kentucky has to be thrilled to be playing in its first-ever bowl, especially after being snubbed LY, but coach Taggart dampened lot of the enthusiasm by bolting for South Florida job. WKU lost four of last six games, allowed 31.5 ppg in last four and failed to cover last three tries as a favorite, but they held Alabama to 328 TY, 2nd-least Crimson Tide gained this year in 35-0 (+38) loss in September. Five of last seven WKU games were decided by 5 or less points. Central Michigan won four of last five games to get here, and maybe save coach Enos’ job; he is 12-24 in three years, but was 8-23 before late surge, at a school used to recent success. Chippewas are 2-4 in bowl games, with last three all decided by exactly 3 points- they’re 1-5 vs spread as an underdog this year, giving up 41+ points in five of their six losses, all while playing #118 (out of 124) ranked schedule. MAC underdogs are 17-15 vs spread this season; Sun Belt favorites are 5-2.

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Little Caesar's Bowl

Western Kentucky - Antonio Andrews was nation's leading all purpose runner with 2977 yards this year.

1. Western Kentucky makes its first bowl appearance in history as a program in transition. Coach Willie Taggart left to take the South Florida job, disgraced former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino takes over the Hilltoppers, but defensive coordinator Lance Guidry will guide the team in the bowl game.

2. Central Michigan saved its best football for a 13-day stretch in November. The Chippewas were 3-6 after losing to Western Michigan, but won three games in less than two weeks starting with a 34-31 victory over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 10. A 42-21 triumph at Massachusetts moved Central Michigan to 6-6 on the season.

3. The Chippewas average 29.3 points; the Hilltoppers 28.8. The big difference comes on defense. Western Kentucky allows 25.6 points per game (second in the Sun Belt Conference), while Central Michigan surrenders 33.3. Western Kentucky struggled on defense down the stretch, allowing 30-plus points four times in six games to go 2-4. Losing senior defensive end Quanterus Smith (12 sacks) to a torn left ACL in the next-to-last game was a big blow.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.

LINE: Western Kentucky -6, O/U 57

CONSENSUS: Nearly 55 percent of Covers Consensus players are backing Western Kentucky and 58 percent like the over.

TRENDS:

* Hilltoppers are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games following a win.
* Chippewas are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 4-1 in Chippewas’ last five December games.
* Over is 4-1 in Hilltoppers’ last five games following a win.

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (7-5, 4-4 Sun Belt): Junior running back Antonio Andrews comes in after two monster rushing games, finishing with 238 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette and 230 yards against North Texas. The Sun Belt’s leading rusher with 1,609 yards this season, Andrews has three games of 200-plus yards and leads the conference by averaging 248.1 all-purpose yards. The Hilltoppers have been particularly tough on opposing running games, holding opponents to only 136.6 yards on the ground (second in the conference). Junior linebacker Andrew Jackson leads Western Kentucky and ranks second in the conference in tackles (116).

ABOUT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (6-4, 4-4 MAC): The Chippewas make their fourth appearance in the Detroit bowl since 2006, going 1-2. They have running back Zurlon Tipton to thank for helping fuel their last-season sprint. The junior rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns in the victory over Massachusetts, and has rushed for 110 or more yards in six consecutive games. Tipton rushed for 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Ryan Radcliff (2,905 yards, 20 touchdowns) finished third in the MAC in passing yards. Sophomore linebacker Justin Cherocci averaged 10.3 tackles per game, fourth in the conference.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

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